Hawthorne's SpaceX aims to correct faulty-rocket problem before next launch

Hawthorne rocket company SpaceX said that before any future flights are conducted, it hopes to correct the problem that caused an engine to shut off during a launch Sunday.

SpaceX and NASA announced on Friday that they have formed a joint investigation board to study the anomaly during a historic resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Because of the engine shutoff, a satellite -- a secondary payload on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket -- was placed in a lower orbit than planned. The satellite later fell out of orbit.

The engine problem marred an otherwise successful launch by the company officially named Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Falcon 9 is designed to complete a launch even if two of its nine engines fail.

"While Falcon 9 was designed for engine-out capability and the Dragon spacecraft has successfully arrived at the space station, SpaceX is committed to a comprehensive examination and analysis of all launch data, with the goal of understanding what happened and how to correct it prior to future flights," the company said in a statement Friday.

SpaceX's launch manifest calls for at least seven launches in 2013, but no more missions this year. The company has set January for its next launch to the space station.

SpaceX and NASA did not give an expected time frame for the investigation board to perform its work. However, in the past, SpaceX has completed its own investigations of rocket anomalies within several weeks or months.

During Sunday's launch, the rocket's engine 1 automatically shut off because of a loss of pressure about a minute after takeoff from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The mission to the space station was the first of 12 regular resupply runs that SpaceX will conduct under a $1.6 billion NASA contract.